Ohio charity wants to house immigrant children

Cincinnati-- A charity said it has applied for a federal grant aimed at bringing to Ohio some of the immigrant children who have flooded across the U.S. border recently.

Catholic Charities Southwestern Ohio has applied for the grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to help house up to 100 of the children. More than 57,000 minors have arrived in the U.S. since October, mostly from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador because of drug violence and other unrest in those countries.

Federal officials are looking for sites to house the children. Some cities said they would welcome them and others have tried to block busloads of them. Federal law requires that the children be placed in protective care while their immigration cases are resolved.

Ted Bergh, CEO of Catholic Charities, said the children would be housed in a "dormitory environment" that could provide short-term shelter, education and counseling, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer.

Bergh said Catholic Charities would take in 50 children, with a maximum of 100. He said the charity is still working on the location. The average term of housing would be about 35 days, he said.

"They can come from anywhere in the world," Bergh said. "Most likely they would be coming from Central America but it's not limited to Central America."

Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley said he supports the effort, saying, "I think it's the right thing to do."